England ongoing to make confident strides immediately after their defeat in the opening match of the event, as classy half-hundreds of years from Heather Knight and Sarah Taylor noticed them to a relaxed seven-wicket gain in excess of Sri Lanka in Taunton. Laura Marsh claimed a 4-wicket haul as Sri Lanka were being confined to 204 for 8, ahead of England cruised to their target with virtually 20 overs to spare.

With Tammy Beaumont and Lauren Winfield reunited at the major of the purchase, immediately after the latter’s wrist damage, England obtained off to a brief commence. Winfield looked in notably very good touch, striking five boundaries, but Ama Kanchana dismissed both to go away England 50 for 2 in the eighth in excess of.

That introduced Knight in to join Taylor, batting at her favoured No. 3 berth immediately after deputising as opener in Winfield’s absence. Both of those picked up boundaries early on ahead of settling down to tick in excess of in singles and twos on their way to bringing up the century stand. The floodgates then opened, Knight hitting the only six of the day as a flurry of boundaries carried England to victory. Knight was caught at midwicket off Chamari Atapattu’s offspin for 82 off 76 but Taylor was there to hit the winning runs, ending on 74 off 67 in her most spectacular and sizeable innings given that returning to the facet.

Immediately after winning the toss and deciding upon to bat initially, Sri Lanka were being forced to toil from their runs from the outset, with England’s senior seamers, Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole, serving up a few maidens in a row. Hasini Perera inevitably broke the stranglehold with a brace of chancy boundaries off Shrubsole to open up their team’s account immediately after 21 consecutive dot-balls.

However neither of Sri Lanka’s openers at any time threatened to minimize unfastened in an opening stand of 44, England’s catching was considerably less than stellar with Perera surviving a regulation possibility at mid-off on 10 as Danielle Hazell misjudged a chipped push. Nipuni Hansika obtained off the mark in the seventh in excess of with a rasping by way of midwicket off Brunt, but she shortly grew to become the initially wicket to drop, caught off a major edge at place at place as she attempted to waft Nat Sciver in excess of the leg facet.

That introduced Atapattu to the crease, new from her astonishing unbeaten 178 versus Australia in the opening match. Anticipation was high as she took guard, but this time she lasted just a few balls ahead of Sciver doubled her tally many thanks to an great instinctive acquire from Taylor driving the stumps, who snaffled a massive deflection as Atapattu swished with flat feet by way of the off facet.

Perera ongoing to guide Sri Lanka’s fortunes as England took the pace off the ball with the introduction of Hazell’s offspin, but it was her fellow offie, Marsh, who created the massive inroads in the middle purchase. Back again in the facet at the price of Alex Hartley immediately after missing the opening two online games, Marsh located some appreciable switch to have Perera caught driving for 46. She took some faucet in her next two overs as Dilani Manodara and Shashikala Siriwardene counterattacked gamely, but the intense technique proved Siriwardene’s downfall as she missed a heave throughout the line to be bowled for 33.

Harshitha Madavi grew to become Marsh’s 3rd victim – and Taylor’s way too – as she was deceived both in flight and off the pitch to edge a skinny nick to the keeper for 1, ahead of Fran Wilson at place generated the moment of the innings, a breathtaking leap to her proper at place to cling on to a whole-blooded minimize from Manodara off Knight, and go away Sri Lanka wobbling at 130 for 6 in the 39th in excess of.

In the stop, they eked out one more 74 runs with a mix of watchful defence and, in the situation of Kanchana, the shot of the day, an AB-de-Villiers-esque inside of-out pull for six in excess of wonderful leg in Shrubsole’s closing in excess of. Kanchana experienced, having said that, by now been reprieved twice in Shrubsole’s previous in excess of, including one grievous misjudgement from Beaumont at brief wonderful leg, who unsuccessful even to lay a hand on a major-edged slog.